Worst Georgia Schools

AJC, 11/2/18 page B8 Metro article “Fewer Atlanta schools on list of GA’s worst” reports the results of the annual assessment.

To get on this list the school must be performing in the bottom 5% on the Georgia Department of Education’s school report card known as the College and Career Ready Performance index. The scores schools receive are based largely on student’s standardized test scores and measures improvement over 3 years.

There were 104 schools on the list, but it has been as high as 153 schools. This year the cut off score was 53.3 points out of 100 points. The “Worst” list included 62 elementary, 26 middle schools and 10 high schools from 33 of Georgia’s 180 school districts. Atlanta Public Schools went from 15 to 13 schools in the bottom 5%. DeKalb went from16 to 14 and Fulton went from 8 to 9. 

These “Worst” schools could be targeted for a “turnaround plan” that could result in the replacement of teachers and principals and the removal of schools from the school districts.  It will take an entirely different approach to teach the worst students. I think the students are actually responsible for their own education. I’m not surprised that 20% are failing. I don’t think the turnaround plan will solve the problem. Good teachers will leave these schools and go to schools with better students.

We’ve watched the Georgia Legislature and Governor carp at the schools to raise their graduation rate to 80%, so they can recruit companies to move here.

This makes no sense to me, I’ve hired hundreds of people in Atlanta and never cared about the graduation rate at the schools they attended.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader